Rawal Lake receives less number of migratory birds

Islamabad : The number of migratory birds visiting the Rawal Lake in the winter season has dwindled apparently due to habitat destruction and increasing human activities in and outside the water lake.

According to the details shared by the wetland experts, the diversity of duck species at the Rawal Lake has decreased to a considerable level.

This trend has been recorded particularly after recent developments that included conversion of part of lake area into park, construction of huts and picnic sites, increased tourism and its associated activities like boating. Tariq Habib, a research student, said the migratory birds start arriving in October and stay till end of March.

“Various factors are contributing to the decreasing number of migratory birds in the Rawal Lake such as habitat destruction, low water quality, less food, forest decline and indiscriminate hunting across the lake,” he said.

According to the reports, the Indus Flyway is one of the seven routes around the globe birds use to escape severe weather conditions, and feed and breed in some cases. The migratory birds escape harsh cold in Russia and China and travel more than 4,500 kilometers to enter Pakistan from the north and following the mighty Indus River all the way down to the south, stopping at more than 300 water bodies and wetlands dotting the land.

Cranes, ducks-mallards, common pochards, common teal, northern pintail, northern shoveler, cormorant, snipes, stints, plovers, gulls and score of other birds fly to Pakistan every winter. In the recent past, the experts have recommended that the boating area should be restricted out of the core habitat of ducks in the lake.

Some marshy areas around the lake should be maintained to provide habitat to waterfowl and access to these areas should also be contained.

Tariq said it is good to see that there is a ban on motor boating in the Rawal Lake but more steps are needed to minimize the impacts of recreational activities on waterfowl particularly the migratory ducks.